Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ordinary Abundance

ordinaryabundance.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 203 posts

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#51

Post by dachris »

carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

I often say that everyone should be on a misery week once a year, where you live like our "ancestors".

I.e. like my grandparents, who grew up in the 1920s on a farm, only 1 heated room, privy outside, no running water, limited food options, hard work each day. As my granny used to say to anyone with nostalgia: no, things were definitely not better back then.

Misery week would greatly increase happiness for the rest of the year, add humility, and empathy with the less privileged.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#52

Post by [deleted] »

carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

[deleted]

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#53

Post by rglover »

palmotea wrote: post #49

Is this a variation of the old "don't fucking complain about the status quo, you have a telescreen, not even the kings of old had a telescreen watching them! How dare you question the titans of industry, whose minion's diligent effort has provided you a telescreen at an affordable price!"?

Yes. There's (anecdotally) been an increase in "don't look at this mess objectively" type of content being put out lately. Presumably because a chair is about to be removed (or it's just garden variety psychological pressure to force a range of outcomes).

It would seem obvious to anybody who lived in the past that the goal of civilizational progress is to...progress. But in our current era, you're gaslit into feeling guilty for desiring basic things (or any form of enjoyment); all the way down to basic living needs.

It's a shame but there's no argument that you can present to others that won't devolve into either politics, straw man arguments, or just transparent abuse. Best to just ride the tiger and ignore it all as best as you can.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#54

Post by The_Fox »

PaulHoule wrote: post #19
abroadwin wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can confirm. As someone living on well water in an area with semi-frequent power outages in winter I have periodically been given renewed appreciation for the value of power, central heat and running water. Now I have a great standby generator, though, so I'm sure I'll start taking it all for granted again soon.

I live in an 1850s farm house with a spring up the hill and a backup well with a pump for those Augusts where the trees pull all the water out of the ground (not quite this one!) Our main heating system is two wood stoves with a small propane heater as a backup. The power goes out a lot in the winter but at least we are cozy, particularly with today's LED/Lithium lights. Back when I had ADSL from the central office m…

I also used to be affected by node outages on a cable network, but now I have Starlink and as long as I can generate some power, I can be online. I wouldn't go back; you might consider it.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#55

Post by carlosjobim »

carlosjobim wrote: post #23
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

Go camping

Why did people kill the commenter who replied to me? What he wrote was my thoughts exactly.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#56

Post by culi »

croisillon wrote: post #27

the future is a nice place to be, if our bikes still had pedals we couldn't hang them at the wall after commuting

Also grateful for the lush houseplants that don't need any light and get by jsut fine on amber lighting from some lamps

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#57

Post by JeremyNT »

dachris wrote: post #51
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

I often say that everyone should be on a misery week once a year, where you live like our "ancestors". I.e. like my grandparents, who grew up in the 1920s on a farm, only 1 heated room, privy outside, no running water, limited food options, hard work each day. As my granny used to say to anyone with nostalgia: no, things were definitely not better back then. Misery week would greatly increase happiness for the rest o…

Even just going backpacking for a few days highlights it. Despite access to some modern amenities (maybe a lighter, or a camp stove, and some food you bought and took with you) it's humbling.

Looking for water in the wilderness - even with access to maps - can be quite a challenge in and of itself!

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#58

Post by jplusequalt »

>It is to humanity’s credit that we remain restless in the midst of all of this progress. We continue to look forward, pushing the frontier further with new treatments, new tools, and new institutions that will help future generations in ways we can’t even picture yet.

Abundance truthers ignore that having access to more consumer goods is often orthogonal to happiness ("Hedonic treadmill").

But am I better off for all the trinkets I now have in my home if the alternative could have been better social safety nets, less wealth inequality, less social isolation, lower global emissions, etc.?

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#59

Post by physicles »

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. For the last month I’ve been living in a camper van, working and traveling, which I’m really lucky to be able to do by choice. It’s lonely to be sure, but I also feel mentally far more resilient than I have in ages, and I’m trying to figure out why.

Being in nature is good for us, so that’s probably part of it, as is the constant practice of being self-reliant.

Another theory is friction. I can’t just roll out of bed to the couch, and back. I don’t have a fixed place to shower, so I swim in a river most days, and usually it’s freezing. Camping alone was terrifying at first, but objectively not that dangerous and not worth worrying about. All these little moments are a chance to exercise that mental muscle to do uncomfortable things.

Modern life is devoid of this friction. I could try to take a cold shower every day, but a not-cold one is just a turn of the wrist away. I could try to make myself go outside a bit every day, but I don’t need to.

This isn’t a new observation, but I can’t believe how stark the contrast is. I’m getting stuff done that I’ve been procrastinating on for years.

Re: Ordinary Abundance

#60

Post by carlosjobim »

dachris wrote: post #51
carlgreene wrote: post #2

Hedonic adaptation really is something. I have been deeply trying to appreciate these modern marvels more and more, but it's hard. A hot shower, air almost 50 degrees cooler than the outside air coming out of my vents, communicating instantly thousands of miles away, it's all so easy to just forget and take for granted

I often say that everyone should be on a misery week once a year, where you live like our "ancestors". I.e. like my grandparents, who grew up in the 1920s on a farm, only 1 heated room, privy outside, no running water, limited food options, hard work each day. As my granny used to say to anyone with nostalgia: no, things were definitely not better back then. Misery week would greatly increase happiness for the rest o…

The hard work (and drink) makes those kind of weeks all but miserable.
Post reply on HN